Some acoustic and aerodynamic characteristics of pharyngeal consonants in Iraqi Arabic

The articulation of pharyngeal consonants in Arabic is still not fully understood. The production of these sounds by a small group of speakers of an Iraqi dialect was analysed by means of acoustic and aerodynamic techniques. It was found that both/ћ/and ¿/could be said to be produced by a constriction in the pharynx (whereby the possibility of epiglottal involvement cannot be excluded), but that laryngeal tension may also play an important role. Vowels preceded or followed by pharyngeals have lowered and centralized allophones. High rates of airflow for/ћ/may be facilitated by lowering the velum. Both sounds could be regarded as approximants, formed in a region of the vocal tract where true fricatives are very difficult to produce.